UPPER MANAGEMENT
Pat Miller
© 2002, Pat Miller/Peaceable Paws, LLC All Rights Reserved
I
get questions all the time from dog owners who want to stop their dogs from
doing something:
“How do I stop him
from peeing on the carpet?”
“How do I keep her
from chewing up my shoes?”
“How do I make him
stop stealing food from the counter?”
“How do I stop her
from jumping up?”
How do I stop her
from getting in the garbage?
I
normally answer these questions with an explanation of how to resolve the
presented behavior problem, but every once in a while I am sorely tempted just
to answer the question with a succinct, “Don’t let him do it!”
As
absurdly simple as this seems, behavior management is the appropriate answer
for probably better than 75% of the questions I am asked. Even more important, management is key
to preventing those behaviors from ever occurring in the first place! In many cases, management is necessary
while the dog learns a more appropriate behavior. In others, management simply replaces unrealistic training
expectations. I offer a three-step
formula for reprogramming or preventing unwanted behaviors:
Identify what you
want the dog to do instead of what you want him not to do.
Figure out how to
prevent the dog from being rewarded for the unwanted behavior. This is the management part -- and
actually the easiest part.
Behaviors that are rewarded are reinforced -- in other words, the dog is
more likely to do them again.
Figure out how to
consistently reward the dog for the desired behavior identified in Step
#1. This is the training part,
often the hardest part. Each of
the training programs for the above behavior challenges could be a full-length
article.
Let’s
see how the these behaviors can be addressed by our three-step formula, with particular
focus on management:
“How do I stop him
from peeing on the carpet?”
1.
Rephrase the question to: “How do I teach him to go to the bathroom outside?
2.
Management -- prevent him from being rewarded for peeing on the carpet. A full bladder causes discomfort. Urinating relieves that
discomfort. Urinating on the
carpet is more rewarding for an unhousetrained dog than suffering the
discomfort of “holding it” until he can go outside. Management tools: a.
Take the dog outside so frequently that his bladder is never full to the
point of discomfort (every hour on the hour, at least at first). b. Keep the dog under close supervision so
you can notice when he is acting restless (a sign that he has to eliminate) and
take him outside quickly, before he has a chance to pee on the carpet. c. Keep the dog crated or penned, or
tethered (only tether if you are home) if you can’t supervise him closely to
prevent him from being rewarded by peeing on the carpet when you’re not paying
attention. Keeping his crate --
his den -- unsoiled is more rewarding to most dogs than relieving even a
moderately full bladder.
3.
Training: Implement a full housetraining program that includes going outside
with him regularly and rewarding him with praise and a treat immediately after
he goes to the bathroom in the appropriate toilet spot.
“How do I keep her
from chewing up my shoes? (or books, or furniture, or baby’s toys)”
1.
Rephrase: How do I get her to chew
on her own things and only her own things?
2.
Manage: Prevent her from being
rewarded for chewing on inappropriate objects. Things like shoes, baby toys and furniture have a nice
firm-but-giving texture that feels good (is rewarding) to a dog’s teeth and
gums, especially to a puppy or young dog who is teething. Management Tools: a. Pick up non-chew
objects when the dog is in the room. b. Remove her from the room when non-chew
objects must be left within dog-reach (put her in a crate or pen if
necessary). c. Supervise the dog
closely and distract her attention from inappropriate objects. d. Tether her in the room with you to
prevent her access to non-chew objects. e. Exercise her a lot; tired dogs tend
to be well-behaved dogs.
3.
Training: Provide her with irresistible chew-objects and interactive toys such
as stuffed Kongs, Buster Cubes, Roll-A-Treat Balls and other safe items. If she is only given the opportunity to
chew acceptable items she will eventually develop a strong preference for
chewing on these things and your personal possessions will be safe.
“How do I make him
stop stealing food from the counter (or table, or coffee table)?”
1.
Rephrase: “How do I get him to only eat things that are in his bowl or on the
floor?” (By the way, dogs are opportunistic eaters by their very nature. They are morally incapable of
“stealing” food. A dog in the wild
who eats food when and where he finds it is smart -- and much more likely to
survive than one who passes food by just because it happens to be above eye
level.)
2.
Manage: Prevent him from being rewarded for counter-surfing. Clearly, the food that he finds on
counters tastes good and is very rewarding. Management tools: a. Doors; if food must be left out, shut
the dog in another room so he can’t have access to it. b. Cupboards; put food away -- never
leave it out as an invitation to counter-surf. c. Crates, pens, leashes and
tethers; use other reasonable means of restraint to prevent his inappropriate
access to food. d. Exercise; tired dogs tend to be well-behaved dogs.
3.
Train: Teach him a positive “Off!” or “Leave It!“ cue and consistently reward
him for ignoring food on the counter and for keeping all four feet on the floor
around food-laden counters and tables.
“How do I stop her from jumping up?”
1.
Rephrase: “How do I teach her to greet people politely, by sitting, or at least
by keeping all four feet on the floor?
2.
Manage: Control her environment to prevent her from being rewarded for jumping
up on people. Management tools: a.
Leash or tether; restrain her as people approach, and only allow them to feed
her a treat and/or pet her after she sits. b. Crate, pen, closed doors; when
you can’t closely supervise her interactions with visitors, confine her to a
safe area so she can’t practice her jumping up behavior. c. Education; arm your
visitors with information in advance of their first meeting with the dog so
they know how to behave appropriately in response to her jumping up. d.
Exercise; tired dogs tend to be well-behaved dogs.
3.
Train: Consistently reward her for sitting when she greets people. Use “negative punishment” (dog’s
behavior makes a good thing go away) by turning away or stepping away when she
tries to jump up.
How do I stop her
from getting in the garbage?
1.
Rephrase: How do I convince her to keep her nose in appropriate places?
2.
Manage: This is one of those behaviors where management is critically
important. You would be wise to
never put extremely tempting garbage such as meat scraps, pork chop bones and
turkey carcasses in any garbage can that is easily accessible to your dog, no
matter how well mannered she is.
Management tools: a. Garbage cans with tightly closing lids that seal
tempting odors in and curious noses out.
b. Cupboards or cabinets (complete with baby-proof latches) that close
securely and protect garbage cans from marauding moochers. c. Closed doors to prevent the dog’s
access to rooms with raidable garbage cans. d. Exercise; tired dogs tend to be well-behaved dogs.
3.
Train: You can teach your dog a positive “Off!” or “Leave It!” with garbage
cans, and for a dog who is very motivated by garbage, you will still want to
use management to prevent him from being rewarded for garbage play in your
absence.
We
could keep going -- this list truly is endless -- but you should be getting the
idea by now. Any time you’re faced
with a behavior challenge, just apply these three simple steps -- rephrase, manage, and train -- to
design your action plan for managing and/or modifying the inappropriate
behavior.
My
all time favorite was the Peaceable Paws client in Carmel, California, who
asked me to teach his Australian Shepherd-mix to stop drinking out of the
toilet.
“It
would be far easier,” I said, “to teach you (the supposedly more intelligent
species) to close the toilet lid or shut the bathroom door, than it would be to
train him not to take advantage of a constantly fresh water source. In fact, he’s probably trying to figure
out how to train you to stop peeing in his water bowl! This is one of those cases where it
makes much more sense to implement a simple management technique than to expend
the energy required to train the desired behavior.”
He
got the message. When I visited
the house for our next appointment, the bathroom door was securely closed.